Writing implement

ABSTRACT

Writing implement comprising a barrel including in its interior a front compartment and an ink reservoir separated from the front compartment by a partition, a nib projecting from the front compartment and made of a fibrous material, an ink absorbing member including a liquid-absorbent rodlike core covered with a non-absorbent material around its peripheral surface other than the opposite ends thereof, at least one compartment provided at the rearmost portion of the barrel and having a smaller capacity than the ink reservoir, and a passage for permitting the ink reservoir to communicate with the rearmost compartment. The ink absorbing member extends through the ink reservoir in the interior of the barrel, with its opposite ends positioned in the front compartment and the rearmost compartment respectively. The front compartment is supplied with ink only from the rearmost compartment through the core of the ink absorbing member by capillary action thereof and ink is then fed to the nib for writing. When drained of ink, the rearmost compartment can be replenished with ink from the ink reservoir.

United States Patent [191 Saito Nov. 25, 1975 I WRITING IMPLEMENT Nobutaka Saito, l2-15 Showa-cho, Higashi-Osaka, Osaka, Japan 22 Filed: Sept. 12, 1974 211 Appl. No.: 505,378

[76] Inventor:

Primary ExaminerLawrence Charles Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Armstrong, Nikaido & Wegner [57] ABSTRACT Writing implement comprising a barrel including in its interior a front compartment and an ink reservoir separated from the front compartment by a partition, a nib projecting from the front compartment and made of a fibrous material, an ink absorbing member including a liquid-absorbent rodlike core covered with a non-absorbent material around its peripheral surface other than the opposite ends thereof, at least one compartment provided at the rearmost portion of the barrel and having a smaller capacity than the ink reservoir, and a passage for permitting the ink reservoir to communicate with the rearmost compartment. The ink absorbing member extends through the ink reservoir in the interior of the barrel, with its opposite ends positioned in the front compartment and the rearmost compartment respectively. The front compartment is 4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures H mm U.S. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 US. Patent N0v.25, 1975 Sheet2of2 3,922,100

WRITING IMPLEMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to improvements in a writing implement, namely in a so-called marking pen, having a nib made of fibrous material such as felt.

Writing or marking implements having a nib made of felt or like fibrous material are already known. Generally the writing implement of this type includes a barrel packed with an ink absorbing material such as fibrous material which is impregnated with volatile ink, and the ink is fed to the nib by capillary action for writing. However, the writing implement has the drawback of running short of ink promptly to give an indistinct marking since ink is retained therein only as absorbed by the ink absorbing material and is therefore limited to a very small amount. This tendency becomes all the more pronounced if the ink is volatile.

Supposedly, the writing implement of the type described may be so designed that ink is contained in a reservoir having no absorbent material therein like usual fountain pens, but this gives rise to another problem that ink is liable to leak out from the nib. In fact the construction will then involve the serious drawback of permitting excess outflow of ink because the nib of such writing implement differs from those of usual fountain pens in structure and material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of this invention is to provide a marking pen which has a reservoir for containing ink without employing an ink absorbing material therein as in usual fountain pens so as to increase the ink holding capacity and yet which is free of leakage of ink.

Another object of this invention is to provide a marking pen which is capable of giving clear markings all the time without any possibility of insufficient transfer of ink onto the writing surface even when it is used for rapid writing.

Another object of this invention is to provide a mark ing pen which is capable of producing markings with uniform width and uniform density without permitting excess outflow of ink.

Another object of this invention is to provide a marking pen in which the amount of ink held therein can be ascertained visually and in which ink can be replenished or replaced.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a marking pen which is inexpensive and easy to manufacture and to use.

These and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the detailed description given below for illustrative purposes only with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation in vertical section showing an embodiment of this invention as placed in horizontal position;

FIGS. 2 to 4 are enlarged views in cross section taken along the line IIII, line III-III and line IV-IV in FIG. 1 respectively;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are side elevations in vertical section showing two exemplary states of the writing implement of this invention during use; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary side elevation in vertical section showing ink as held in the interior of another embodiment of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to FIG. 1, a writing implement of this invention comprises a barrel 2 having a nib 1 made of felt or like fibrous material and a cap 3 detachably mounted on the front end of the barrel 2 to protect the nib l. The barrel 2 is in the form of a hollow cylinder having a bottom and is made of a transparent material such as plastics or glass. The interior of the barrel 2 is divided by a partition 4 into a front compartment 5 and an ink reservoir 6. The front compartment 5 is packed with a liquid-absorbent material 7 such as fibers or nonwoven fabric and is provided with an air opening 8 formed in its peripheral wall. The barrel 2 comprises separable two portions, i.e., a front portion defining the front compartment 5 and a main body including the ink reservoir 6 which are assembled by screw-thread means 9. When the barrel 2 is assembled, the front portion presses the partition 4 against the opening end of the ink reservoir 6. The partition 4 is made for example of a water-repellent material having an open-cellular structure or an open-cellular material which is not repellent to water but to which a water-repellent substance such as silicone oil is applied. Briefly it is made of a material which is permeable to air but impermeable to ink. Accordingly, ink it) placed in the reservoir 6 is prevented from flowing into the front compartment 5 through the partition 4, with the result that leakage of ink 10 from the ink reservoir 6 is impeded while the pen is placed in horizontal position shown in FIG. 1 or when it is used in writing position shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The barrel 2 further includes at its rearmost portion at least one compartment 11 separated from the ink reservoir 6 by a partition 12 and having a smaller capacity than the reservoir 6. The ink reservoir 6 communicates with the compartment 11 through a passage 12a formed in a peripheral portion of the partition 12, so that the ink 10 in the reservoir 6 flows into the compartment 11.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, three partitions 12, 13 and 14 provided in the rear portion of the barrel 2 are spaced apart by specified distances to define three compartments ll, 15 and 16. Passages 12a, 13a are 14a are formed in peripheral portions of the partitions 12, 13 and 14, one passage being angularly displaced from another adjacent passage by as seen in FIGS. 2 to 4. Accordingly, the ink reservoir 6 communicates with the compartment 1 1 through a passageway extending one turn around an ink absorbing member 17 to be described below.

The front compartment 5 communicates with the rearmost compartment 11 by way of the ink absorbing member 17 extending through the ink reservoir 6 and coaxial with the barrel 2. The ink absorbing member 17 has a double construction including a rodlike core 18 and a covering 19. The rodlike core 18 is made of a liquid-absorbent material such as fiber or polyurethane which is preferably more compact than the absorbent material 7 in the front compartment 4. The core 18 has a center bore 20 extending therethrough for passing air and ink. The covering 19 is made of a non-absorbent material such as polyethylene, glass, aluminum or the like. The core 18 is left uncovered at its opposite ends 21 and 22 which are positioned in the front compartment 5 and the rearmost compartment 11 respectively. The core 18 therefore absorbs and is impregnated with the ink held in the compartment 1 1 solely from the end 22.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of this invention in which a barrel 2 has an opening 23 in its rear portion. A helical projection 24 extends from the position of the opening 23 around the barrel 2. A bottomed cylinder 25 is fitted around the projection 24 and is secured to the barrel as by screw-thread engagement. An ink reservoir 6 communicates with a rearmost compartment 11 through a helical passageway 26 extending one turn around an ink absorbing member 17.

To use the writing implement of this invention having the foregoing construction, the ink reservoir 6 is opened by unscrewing the front portion of the barrel 2 and a specified amount of ink is placed into the reservoir 6 from the open end. The reservoir 6 is then closed by screwing the front portion onto the main body of the barrel 2.

When the writing implement itself is placed in horizontal position, with the passage 14a of the partition 14 at the lower side as illustrated in FIG. 1, ink will be at the same level in the reservoir 6 and compartment 16, since they communicate with each other through the passage 14a. Similarly ink will be maintained at the same level in both the compartments l1 and 15 communicating with each other via the passage 12a of partition 12 which passage is at the lower side. Thus a predominant amount of ink 10 is held in the reservoir 6, and the ink 10 is also retained in the compartments l1, l5 and 16 as illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 4. If the amount of ink held in the implement is so adjusted that, when the implement is in such horizontal position, the ink level 10a in the compartment 11 is out of contact with the end 22 of the ink absorbing member 17 extending into the compartment 11, the compartment 11 will be maintained at atmospheric pressure through the air passage 8 and bore 20. As a result, the ink absorbing member 17 will not absorb the ink in the compartment 11 from its end 22, preventing spontaneous outflow of ink from the nib 1. Of course even if ink is in contact with the end 22 within the compartment 11, spontaneous leakage of ink is greatly impeded because the ink absorbing member 17 includes the circumferential non-absorbent covering 19 and absorbs ink only from the end 22 having a small area. Furthermore the partition 4 prevents the flow of ink from the ink reservoir 6 into the front compartment 5. The writing implement is used in the writing positions shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. If it is used with the passage 12a of partition 12 positioned at the upper side as shown in FIG. 5, the ink in the compartment 11 is prevented by the partition 12 from flowing into the compartment 15 and held in contact with the end 22, always permitting the rodlike core 18 to replenish the nib l with ink by capillary action at a rate corresponding to the consumption of ink at the nib l and thereby making it sure that the pen will give clear and sharp markings without interruption of smooth transfer of ink onto the writing surface. Since there is no excess supply of ink to the nib 1, excess outflow of ink from the nib is precluded. Consequently, markings are available with uniform width and uniform density all the time. Further when the pen is used with the passage 12a positioned at the lower side as illustrated in FIG. 6, ink is held in the two rearmost compartments 11 and 15, because each of the passages 12a, 13a and 14a in the partitions l2, l3 and 14 is positioned as angularly displaced by from the adjacent passage. Ink is therefore accessible to the end 22 of the ink absorbing member 17, producing the same writing effect as described with reference to FIG. 5.

If the ink absorbed by the ink absorbing member 17 and the absorbent material 7 in the front compartment 5 is used up during writing in the position of FIGS. 5 or 6, the writing implement is raised nib up, whereby the compartments 16, 15 and 11 are replenished with ink from the reservoir 6 containing a large amount of ink 10. In this way, the writing implement is usable for a prolonged period of time until the reservoir 6 is drained of ink.

When the writing implement of this invention is used for rapid writing, ink is also fed through the bore 20 extending through the ink absorbing member 17. While the implement is in horizontal position, the bore 20 also serves to replenish the compartment 11 with air to compensate for the reduction in the internal pressure of the compartment 11. Consequently, there will be no interruption of smooth transfer of ink onto the writing surface during rapid writing.

The partition 4 between the front compartment 1 and the ink reservoir 6 which is rendered permeable to air but impermeable to ink impedes spontaneous leakage of ink from the nib 1 when the writing implement is left to stand in horizontal position shown in FIG. 1 or in upright position with nib up or down. While the writing implement is in such state or in use, the internal pressure of the ink reservoir 6 may rise due to changes in temperature or for some other cause, acting to depress the ink level, but the air opening 8 provided for the front compartment 5 and the partition 4 which is permeable to air eliminate the elevation in the internal pressure, precluding spontaneous outflow of ink. When the cap 3 is left removed, the ink absorbed by the absorbent material 7 in the front compartment 5 will be evaporated off if the ink is volatile, but the partitions 4, 12, 13 and 14 prevent evaporation of ink in the reservoir 6, compartments 11, 15 and 16 and a large amount of ink still remains in the reservoir 6 to impregnate the absorbent material 7 in the front compartment 5.

With the embodiment of FIG. 7 in which the reservoir 6 communicates with the rearmost compartment 11 by way of the helical passageway 26, the ink 10 in the reservoir 6 flows through the passageway 26 to the compartment 11. The embodiment therefore functions in the same way as the foregoing embodiment.

In addition to the preferred embodiments given above, various improvements and modifications may be made according to this invention.

For instance, two or more compartments may be provided within the barrel 2 to the rear of the ink reservoir 6. The opposite end portions of the ink absorbing member 17 which are positioned within the front compartment 5 and the rearmost compartment 11 may be left uncovered wholly or partially over their peripheral surfaces. The barrel 2 made of transparent material may be calibrated for the measurement of the amount of ink in the reservoir. The passages 12a, 13a and 14a formed in the partitions l2, l3 and 14 can be positioned as angularly displaced from each other by an angle other than 180, provided that ink can be held in the compartment 11, so that the passageway from the reservoir 6 to the compartment 11 extends more than or less than one turn around the ink absorbing member 17.

What is claimed is:

1. A writing implement comprising a barrel including in its interior a front compartment and an ink reservoir separated from the front compartment by a partition, a fibrous material nib projecting from the front compartment, an ink absorbing member including a liquidabsorbent rod-like core and a non-absorbent material surrounding the peripheral surface thereof parallel to the longitudinal axis of the core, at least one compartment provided at the rearmost portion of the barrel and having a smaller capacity than the ink reservoir, and a passage means for connecting the ink reservoir with the rearmost compartment, wherein the ink absorbing member is positioned in the interior of the barrel with the non-absorbent material separating the core from the reservoir, one end of the ink absorbing member being positioned in the front compartment and the other end of the ink absorbing member being position in the rearmost compartment.

2. The writing implement as set forth in claim 1 wherein the passage means is helical.

3. The writing implement as set forth in claim 1 wherein the ink absorbing member has a bore extending therethrough.

4. The writing implement as set forth in claim 1 wherein the partition is rendered permeable to air but impermeable to ink, and the front compartment is provided with an air passage. 

1. A writing implement comprising a barrel including in its interior a front compartment and an ink reservoir separated from the front compartment by a partition, a fibrous material nib projecting from the front compartment, an ink absorbing member including a liquid-absorbent rod-like core and a non-absorbent material surrounding the peripheral surface thereof parallel to the longitudinal axis of the core, at least one compartment provided at the rearmost portion of the barrel and having a smaller capacity than the ink reservoir, and a passage means for connecting the ink reservoir with the rearmost compartment, wherein the ink absorbing member is positioned in the interior of the barrel with the non-absorbent material separating the core from the reservoir, one end of the ink absorbing member being positioned in the front compartment and the oTher end of the ink absorbing member being position in the rearmost compartment.
 2. The writing implement as set forth in claim 1 wherein the passage means is helical.
 3. The writing implement as set forth in claim 1 wherein the ink absorbing member has a bore extending therethrough.
 4. The writing implement as set forth in claim 1 wherein the partition is rendered permeable to air but impermeable to ink, and the front compartment is provided with an air passage. 